Belt-driven packer



Se t. 1,1926; 1,599,012

I w. H. HOLTBY BELT DRIVEN PACKER r v I Filqd June 13, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v INVENTOR I'l H 11011127 I ATIORNEYS hen the latch has its hooked end 17 engaged with the stud 18, the bars 10 and 12 are held together. Consequently, when the tramper head 3 is at the upper limit of its stroke and the press box is being filled, both bars 10 and 12 are held in the position shown in Fig. 1, wherein the belt shifter 9 has shifted the belt 8 onto the loose pulley 6, whereby to permit the tramper head 3 to remain stationary. hen the press box 3 has been filled by the action of the rake 2 with the desired'amoimt of cotton, the gate atis swung outwardly. A crank arm 18 is fixed to the gate 1- and is connected by a link 19 to a crank arm 20 on one end of a shaft 21. The shaft 21 is journaled in bearings 22 and also carries a crank arm 23 connected by a connecting rod 21 with a latch release bar 25. The latch release bar 25 is fulcrumed, as at 26, on bearings 27 and this bar may also be counterweighted, as at 28. One end of the latch release bar 25 is engageable with the tail 15 of the latch 15. lVith this arrangement when the cotton has filled the press box to such an extent as to swing the gate 1 outwardly around its hinges 1, the crank arm 18, link 19, crank arm 20, shaft 21, crank arm 23 and connecting rod 241 transmit the motion of the gate to the latch release bar 25. The latch release bar 25 presses down on the tail 15 of the latch 15 to disengage the hooked end 17 of the latch from the stud 18. \Vhen the latch 15 has its hooked end disengaged from the stud 18 a retractile coil spring 30 operates to shift the carrier bar 10 to the right, as viewed in Fig. 1. This movement of the carrier bar 10 shifts the belt shifter 9 to the right and consequently shifts the belt 8 from the fixed pulley 7 to the loose pulley 6 and starts the tramper head 3 on its down stroke. As the tramper head 3 moves downwardly, the cam 14 disengages the roller 14 and permits the control bar 12 to shift to the right, as viewed in Fig. 1, causing the beveled end of the latch 15 to snap over the stud 18 so as to again connect the bars 10 and 12. At this time the latch release bar 25 is also repositioned due to the fact that the cotton is carried down past the gate 4: by the tramper head. On the return stroke of the tramper head the cam 1-lagain engages the roller 13 and consequently shifts the bar 12 to the left, as viewed in Fig. 1. Since the bar 10 is connected to the bar 12 through the latch 15 and stud 18 it is also shifted to the left as viewed in Fig. 1 and as a consequence the belt shifter 9 shifts the belt 8 from the fixed pulley 7 to the loose pulley 6 to stop the movement of the tramper head.

Braking mechanism is provided for immediately stopping the motion of the fixed pulley 7 and the shaft 5 when the belt 8 is disengaged from these bars. Preferably this braking mechanism includes a pivoted tending and suitably faced braking element 1 38 carried by the brake beam and engageable with the periphery of the fixed pulley 7 between the runs of the belt 8. A brake operating arm 39 is fixed to the carrier bar 10 and has an eye 10 through which a brake 1;

rod 11 is slidably fitted. A spring take-up 42 is provided between the eye and one end of the rod 41. The other end of the rod ll is pivotally connected, as at 43, to one arm of a bell crank 14. The other arm of I the bell crank is connected by a twisted link l5 to one end of the brake beam 35. With this arrangement when the bar 10 shifts to the right, as viewed in Fig. 1, to shift the belt 8 onto the fixed pulley, the brake arm 35 also shifts to the right and releases the brake. lVhen, however, the bar 10 is shifted to the left, as viewed in Fig. 1, to draw the belt 8 onto the loose pulley, the brake arm 39 will also move to the left as viewed in Fig. 1, and this will cause a corresponding movement of the rod 11 and a swinging movement of the bell crank 44 about its pivot in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1,

thereby exerting a pull on the link a5 and swinging the brake beam 35 to pull the braking element 38 into engagement with the periphery of the pulley 7.

I claim:

1. In a belt driven cotton packer having a press box, a tramper, means for feeding cotton to the press box, and means for driving the tramper including a shaft, a loose pulley on the shaft, a fixed pulley on the shaft, a belt co-operable with the pulleys. an automatic attachment for the packer including a shiftable carrier bar having a belt shifter co-operable with said belt, a control bar, a releasable self-setting connection between the control bar and the carrier bar, means controlled by the amount of cotton in the press box for releasing the connection between the control bar and the carrier bar, means for biasing the position of the carrier bar to cause the belt shifter to shift the belt onto the fixed pulley, and means on the tramper and co-operable with the control bar for shifting the control bar so as to cause it to shift the carrier bar to throw the belt onto the loose pulley when the bars are connected and the tramper is at the upper limit of its stroke.

2. In a belt driven packer, an automatic attachment including a pair of bars, a belt shifter carried by one bar, a latch and stud arrangement for connecting the bars, means controlled by the amount of cotton in the press box for disconnecting the latch from the stud, means for shifting one of the bars when the latch and stud are disconnected,

and tramper control means for shifting the other bar.

3. In a belt driven cot-ton packer including a press box, a tramper, means for driving the tramper including a shaft having a fixed pulley and a loose pulley thereon, a gate associated With the press box and swingable outwardly from the press box When the press box is filled with cotton, an automatic attachment includingra slidable carrier bar, a belt shifter connected to the carrier bar, a'slidable control bar, a latch pivoted on the control bar, a stud on the carrier bar engageable with the latch, springs for biasing the position of said bars, a latch release bar co-operable with the latch,.motion transmission means between the gate and the latch release bar, a roller on the control bar, and a cam on the tramper head cooperable With the roller.

4. In a belt driven packer, an automatic attachment including a pair of bars, a belt shifter carried by one bar, releasable means for connecting the bars, means controlled by V the amount of cotton in the press box for releasing said means, means for shifting one of the bars upon release of said releasable means, and tramper control means for regulating the shifting of the other bar. 5. An automatic attachment for belt driven packers comprising a shaft, a loose pulley on the shaft, a fixed pulley on the shaft, a belt co-operable With the pulleys, a shiftable carrier bar having a belt shifter co-operable with said belt, a control bar, a releasable connection between the control bar and the carrier ba'r, means for automatically releasing said connection, means for biasing the position of the carrier bar-to cause the belt shifter to shift the belt from the loose pulley onto the fixed pulley, and means co-operable With the control bar for automatically shifting the control bar so as to cause it to shift the carrier bar in such manner that the belt Will be moved onto the loose pulley when the bars are connected VVILKIE HORATIO HOLTBY. 

